Fenghou

Chapter 887 Research

Taxation is a big problem, and Chen Qing didn't agree to it in a flash of his head, but the annual gap of [-] million yuan must be solved, and if it is not solved, it will collapse.

Of course, the amount of currency can be increased, but this is actually a kind of taxation, seigniorage, which has been done in the past dynasties when the finances are not enough to make ends meet. It is even too late to increase the amount of copper mining. Issuing large amounts of money dilutes the purchasing power of the currency and directly deprives the people of their wealth.

In fact, Sichuan and Shaanxi are also investing new money every year, and the amount of money invested every year is not small, [-] guan. This new amount of money cannot solve the annual financial gap of [-] million guan.

Chen Qing also realized that it was imperative to collect taxes, otherwise he would not be able to support [-] troops on Sichuan Road alone.

But even if the tax is collected, a lot of research needs to be done, and a lot of data is obtained. What is the current household registration, annual income, and food production? What are the consequences of collecting [-]% of the tax and [-]% of the tax?
In addition, there are different ways of collecting taxes, whether to directly collect land tax and household tax, or to collect indirect taxes more tactfully. Liquor tax and business tax, the gap of [-] million can barely make up.

Another great advantage of collecting indirect taxes is that the common people don’t feel disgusted. For example, the sheep tax collected by Chen Qing on the nomads in the territory is an indirect tax. Xixia directly collects sheep taxes. Every year, [-]% of the newborn lambs must be paid, which makes the herdsmen extremely disgusted.

But Chen Qing does not collect taxes directly, all the newborn lambs belong to the herdsmen, but the herdsmen need to sell the sheep and sheepskins to the government every year, and the price is [-]% lower than the market price, which is the sheep tax.

Everyone is not a fool. The herdsmen also know that this is an indirect tax payment to the government, but they are willing to do so. It is very convenient for them. First, they can sell it at any time. They don’t have to go to the market twice a year in spring and autumn. It costs a lot of money, secondly, they can avoid exploitation by profiteers, and more importantly, they are psychologically comfortable. All the lambs are their own, and they only sell a little profit. The feelings of the herdsmen are completely different.

Therefore, relatively speaking, Chen Qing is more inclined to levy indirect taxes, because the collection of direct taxes involves a political credit issue. Chen Qing publicly promised that Xihe Road and Shaanxi Road will be tax-free for ten years, and now there are still four years left to expire. There is no promise, and the levy can be launched next year.

But even if indirect taxes are levied, it will affect the affordability of the people, and it is not possible to collect them if they want to.

At noon, Chen Qing brought a few of his men to the Southwest District of Jingzhao. The Southwest District of Jingzhao is a place where low-level people live. The house has only a small yard at most, or even no yard, and there are rows of mud-walled and tiled houses, so the rent is cheap, and a house can be rented for [-] yuan a month.

If you go to other districts, they are basically big courtyards. Even if several families rent together, each house will cost at least [-] Wen per month. The price difference is three times. district life.

The entire Southwest District covers only [-]% of Jingzhao's area, but [-]% of Jingzhao's population is concentrated. Of course, this is just a play on words, and it is not that exaggerated. In other areas, there are shops, warehouses, government offices, military camps, school grounds, Scenic spots, etc., these are all uninhabitable places, occupying at least [-]% of the area of ​​Jingzhao City.

A soldier named Li Sheng said with a smile: "Your Highness, I have an uncle who lives here. His family is quite representative. Why don't you go to his house to learn about the situation?"

Chen Qingxiao asked, "What's the situation with your uncle?"

"My uncle's family escaped from Ruzhou last year. He was shot in the leg by an arrow and was not treated in time. He became disabled and crippled. He couldn't survive in his hometown. The family first went to Shanzhou to make a living. Within a few months We regained Shanzhou, and they came directly to Jingzhao."

"They're lucky!" Chen Qing said with a smile.

"It's luck. If they didn't happen to go to Shanzhou, they wouldn't be able to make it."

"Then, what's the situation now?" Chen Qing asked again.

"Then! He's lame, and it's hard to find work. Our family borrowed [-] pennies from him, saying it was a loan, but we didn't expect them to pay it back. They rented two houses, a shop in the front and a house in the back, and opened a A small grocery store, the whole family relies on the small grocery store for a living. There are two children, a son and a daughter. The son is nine years old and the daughter is thirteen years old. Mother scolded me a bit, and then sent my son to school to study."

"How much can you earn a month from opening a store?"

"I don't know the details, but it's definitely not much. How much money can you make a month by selling needles and brains?"

Chen Qing was somewhat interested. It was indeed more typical, and it was a little worse among the low-level people. At least the peasants still had land, and the limbs of other low-level people were still healthy.

Not long after, they came to a noisy slum area. Groups of children were playing on the street. On both sides were low mud-walled tile-roofed houses, which used to be thatched houses, but gradually changed to tile-roofed houses in recent years.

There is a coal stove at the door of almost every household, burning honeycomb coal. Honeycomb coal is the biggest benefit Chen Qing gave to the residents of Sichuan and Shaanxi cities. Firewood is too expensive. With very cheap honeycomb coal, you can burn a few pots while cooking Boiling water, everyone knows that it is not easy to have diarrhea when drinking boiled water. In the past, conditions did not allow it, but now it is possible to boil water. Even every ten days and a half months, the whole family can boil a large bucket of water for a bath.

"Every time it rains, it's muddy here. It's hard to walk, and the smell is so bad. Last year, the county government organized manpower to dig the sewer ditch. The ditch was paved with stone slabs, and the sewage was discharged outside the city. It's much cleaner now!"

Chen Qing nodded. The magistrate of Chang'an is Wei Qing, Yang Yuanqing's brother-in-law. Guan Qian bought a batch of old stone slabs and solved this big problem that has plagued me for many years. The key is not how much experience you have, but whether you have the will to do it. You may not think of some things, but your subordinates will give you advice.

"Your Highness, this is it!" Li Sheng pointed to a small grocery store next to him.

Chen Qing took a closer look, the store was really inconspicuous, and it was still in the alley, so I don’t know if it’s not a local resident, but then again, outsiders wouldn’t come here to buy groceries, which shows that the owner is smarter and doesn’t spend more The money rents the street shop.

"Auntie, where's uncle?"

Li Sheng entered the door to say hello, a woman in her thirties looked over her head and said with a smile, "Ah Sheng is here!"

She turned around and shouted, "His father, Ah Sheng is here!"

A middle-aged man came out from the small door next to him, limping, with a small nose and eyes, and his face was covered with wrinkles. He glanced at Li Sheng, and said worriedly in his eyes: "A Sheng, what's the matter?"

Li Sheng smiled and said, "Uncle, I'm not here to ask you for money, I just accompany my general to understand some people's livelihood."

Hearing that he didn't come to ask for money, the man immediately had a smile on his face, "Please come in quickly! Please come in!"

Li Sheng asked Chen Qing to walk into the small gate. Inside was a small courtyard of more than ten square meters, with two houses next to it, but the yard was full of groceries, and there was only a small corner for them to stand. Chen Qing still wanted to enter the house. But I soon discovered that it was better to be in the yard. The house was not only dark, but also full of groceries, and there was no place to stand.

"Damn it, boil some water!"

Li Sheng immediately said: "Uncle, don't boil the water, we have something to do, we have to leave now!"

"Let's go now! Damn the child, then there's no need to boil the water!"

(End of this chapter)